Yan Ling joined the School of Business in 2004 after obtaining her PhD in business administration from the University of Connecticut. She received her undergraduate degree from Central University of Finance & Economics in China.

Ling teaches courses in strategic management and entrepreneurship.

Her primary research focuses on top management issues as they pertain to small, privately-held firms including family businesses and new ventures. She is interested in how the top-level management of small, privately-held firms may be different from that of large, publicly-held organizations. Her research has been published in journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Business Research, and the Journal of Organizational Behaviors, among others.